Why Use Oral Testing Method for Conducting Drug Tests?

Oral testing involves measuring the psychoactive element, the parent compound, of a drug in the saliva. Since compounds residing in the blood also reside in saliva, the detection of the psychoactive element of a drug in saliva means that the drug is in the blood stream too. Hence, higher levels of the compound in saliva translates to higher levels of the drug in the system.

Oral testing, which is performed by using a swab to collect saliva samples from the person being tested, is typically considered the best drug testing method. To establish that truth, let’s take a look at the benefits of utilising the oral testing method.

Oral Testing Is Not Intrusive

With oral testing, there’s no needle piercing your skin, no need for harvesting fifty strands of your hair, and no need to feel embarrassed about giving your urine to a stranger. There’s also no gender, privacy, and observation issues—unlike in urine testing. Oral testing simply requires the collection of saliva, which the candidate can easily carry out on his or her own in front of the tester.

Oral Testing Provides Immediate Results

With modern equipment like Drager’s DT5000 mobile screening system, oral testing can produce results within minutes. If the samples have to be carried to and tested in a laboratory, results can be delivered within 24hours. This makes oral testing perfect for on-site drug testing as used by the UK police.

Oral Testing Provides No Room for Specimen Tampering

The gender and privacy issues, which make observing sample collection in urine testing problematic and can lead to the tampering of specimens to influence results, are eliminated with oral testing, since samples are collected in front of the tester.

Oral Testing Is Uncomplicated and Flexible

Although it’s recommended that you enlist a lab specialist to perform drug tests, anyone with the knowledge of the workings of equipment like the Drager’s DT5000 and DrugWipe can carry out oral testing and get accurate results. Also, samples for oral testing can be collected anywhere—by the roadside, at home, in the office, or at the clinic.

Oral Testing Is Accurate and Cheap

An oral test offers the accuracy of a blood test, but without the disadvantages. For instance, candidates are spared the fear and pain that come with drawing blood with a syringe or needle. And the test doesn’t need to be carried out or verified by a laboratory—this makes oral testing cheap.

Oral Testing Can Detect Immediate Intoxication

Oral testing can detect drugs in the system within a few hours or even immediately after usage–a window urine testing can miss. This makes oral testing ideal for roadside post-accident or reasonable-suspicion testing. An employer wanting to screen his or her employees for immediate intoxication can also leverage oral testing and get accurate results. Additionally, oral testing can detect most drugs up to four days after last use.

Oral Testing Can Detect a Wide Range of Drugs

The ability of oral testing to detect many of the popular drugs people abuse makes it even more reliable as the choice drug testing method. Here are the drugs that can be detected via oral testing:

Barbiturates

Amphetamine/methamphetamine/ecstasy

Phencyclidine (PCP)

Cocaine

Ethyl Alcohol

Propoxyphene

Cannabinoids

Opiates (codeine, morphine, 6-acetylmorphine)

Of course, you can use other drug testing methods depending on why you are conducting the test and the type of result you expect. For instance, hair testing can provide evidence of drug use dating years into the past—something oral testing cannot do. Therefore, if oral testing can get the job done, use it and save yourself time, money, and the discomfort of using other testing methods. If it can’t, then you can go for the other methods.